Improvement in combined car brake and coupler



S. PAIRMAN! Combined Oar Brake and Coupler. No. 217.356.

Patented July 8-, I879.

UNITED. STATES PATENT Orr-"Ion SIMON FAIRMAN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN COMBINED CAR BRAKE AND COUPLER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 217.356, dated July 8,1879; application filed November 26, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, SIMON FAIRMAN, of the city of Baltimore, and State ofMaryland, have invented certain Improvements in Combined Oar Brake andCoupler, of which the following is a specification; and I do herebydeclare that in the same is contained afull, clear, and exactdescription of my said invention, reference being had to theaccompanyingdrawlugs, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to an improved combined car brake and coupler, tobe used indepen dently of the ordinary braking mechanism, in case ofaccident, to stop and separate the cars; but it is also constructed toadmit ofthe independent action of the coupler in the attachment anddetachment of cars-that is to say, the coupler may be operated withoutaffectin g the braking mechanism to which it is connected, orinterfering with the free forward and backward movement of the cars.

The said invention, briefly stated, consists, first, in providing acarwith a system of brakeshoes adapted to bethrown beneath the wheels ofthe car, and between the said wheels and the rails of the track; and incombining with the brake-slioe=operatiu g mechanism a coupler, which'isarranged to open and discharge the coupling-link upon the application ofthe shoes to the car-wheels, as aforesaid.

The said invention consists, secondly, in the peculiar construction andarrangement of the braking and coupling devices, and in the manner ofapplying the same to the car, as will hereinafter fully appear. In thefurther description of the said invention which follows, reference ismade to the accompan yin g drawings, forming a part hereof, and inwhich---- Figure I is a partly-sectional side elevation of parts of twocars, to which the said invention is applied. Fig. 11 is a view of. theunder side of the cars. Fig. III is an end view of a car embodying thesaid improvements; and Figs. IV, V, VI, VII, and VIII are views of partsof the invention on an enlarged scale. Similar letters of referenceindicate similar parts of the invention in all the views. 7

A is the car-body, and B B are thewheels of the car, secured to thetrucks (which are not shown in the drawings) in the usual manner. 0 Oare plates, one of which is located over each-truck and under thecar-body, adapted to have a limited sliding movement longitudinally ofthe car.

D D represent the brake-shoes, which'consist of shells, conformingsomewhat in form to the edges .of the Wheels, and which are attached tothe plates 0 by means of hinged flexible bars E.

F F are swinging bars, dependent from the car-body, and connectedloosely to rods a, one of which is used to couple each pair of flexiblebars, Each pair of brake-shoes operate independently of the others, andfall beneath the car-wheels by reason of their weight when thesustaining mechanism, hereinafter described, is detached or liberated.The sustaining mechanism for each pair of brake-shoes consists of asuitably-supported forked brake-rod, b, pivoted to the swinging bars,extending to a point slightly beyond the end of the car. The free end ofeach brake-rod, except the one projecting from the rear end of the rearcar, enters a socket, c, secured to the platform of an adjoining car,and comes into contact with a yielding plate, d, located in the saidsocket. By this-means, when the trainis made up, all the brake-shoes,except those connected to the rod projecting from the rearend of thetrain, are removed from contact with the wheels, and the latter pair areretained in a similar position by means of a lever, c, which is placedover a projection, f, on the said rod.

As any one of the cars may be placed at the rear of the train, andeither end of the car used as the forward one, both ends of the cars areprovided with'the levers e, and all the brakerods with projections f. Ido not, however, limit myself to the devices herein described forsecuring the brake-rods, as other contriw ances may be used in lieuthereof without at fecting the nature of the invention.

The coupler before alluded to, and which is represented by G, consistsof two parts, viz., fixed block, g, adapted as a bumper, and a jaw, h,pivoted to a part of the said block,

- and fitted to open as the coupling-link i is in serted thereto. Thecoupler is held in a closed position by means of a weighted lever, it,which passes through a slotted arm, I, extending from the plate 0, andthe said arm is provided with a sheave, m, for obvious purposes.

The weighted lever k is bent substantially as shown in the drawings,toenable the sheave m to clear it when the plate 0 is thrown back and theshoes removed from contact with the wheels, and to cause the said sheaveto strike an inclined surface and open the jaw h when the said plate isdrawn forward by the passage of the shoes beneath the wheels.

By reference to the drawings it will be seen that the couplii'ig-linkengages with the'bnmpers only when the cars are coupled; and in order todisengage the link from the bumpers as the jaw is opened, I provide thesaid jaw with a curved plate, a, which, as the jaw is lowered, strikesthe link and forces it below and clear of the bumper.

In the description of the operation of my improved brake and couplerwhich follows parts of the invention not yet alluded to will bedescribed and their uses fully set forth.

To make up a train equipped with the present improvements, thebrake-rods of the separated cars must be locked by means of the levers,as described, to remove the brakeshoes from the wheels and allow of thefree rotation of the latter, and after the coupling operation, which isaccomplished by the backing of one car against the other. all thebrakerods except the one at the rear end of the train are liberated. Aline, 0, extending from the engineers cab through the cars, is nextattached to the rear lever, when the apparatus is ready for use, andremains in this condition until circumstances require the instantchecking and separation of the cars.

When the engineer deems it prudent to apply the brakes and separate thecars, he draws the line 0, which disconnects the rear lever from itsbrake-rod, and allows the forward brake-shoes of the rear car to fall,and at the same time the rear car is detached from the next forward one.As the rear car is detached the forward brake-shoes on the next car areapplied, in consequence of the release of the brake-rod from the socketinto which it projects, and the second car isthus separated from thetrain. This operation is repeated until the entire number of carsarestopped and isolated.

The object of the yielding plate in the sockets is to take up orcompensate for any irregularity in the length of the brake-rods, and toallow for a slight variation in the relative positions of adjoining carswhen the train is turning or rounding a curve.

When it is desired to detach the rear car without affecting theremaining portion of the train, the forward brake-rod of the second caris secured by its lever, to which lever the check-lineo mustbe attached,and the coupler of the rear car opened by means of a lever and cam orcrank. (Shown in connection with the cou )ler in Fi IV of the drawin s.

l b b Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and wishto secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A combined car brake and coupler having the following essentialelements in combination-that is to say: a pair of brake-shoes,consisting of shells conforming somewhat in shape to the edge of thecar-wheels, suspended by means of flexible bars to a plate adapted tohave a sliding movement longitudinally of the car, and a coupler havinga movable jaw, which is depressed or opened to discharge thecoupling-link upon the falling of the said brake-shoes and the movementof the said having the projection f thereon, the lever 6,

whereby the said brake-rods may be locked and the brake-shoes sustainedin an elevated position, as shown.

4. The platforms or bodies of two adjoining cars having each a socket,0, provided with a yielding plate, (I, combined with the brakerods b,each of which enters the socket 0 of the car adjoining that to whichsaid rod is attached, substantially as specified.

5..The car-coupler G, having in combination the fixed bumper g,vibrating jaw h, and

curved plate a, forming a part of said jaw, constructed substantially asdescribed, whereby the said plate, when the jaw is depressed, falls onthe head of the link, as set forth.

6. The sliding plate 0, roller m, weighted lever It, vibrating jaw h,and fixed. bumper g, combined substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 23d day ofSeptember, A. D. 1878.

SIMON FAIRMAN.

VVit-nesses WM. '1. HOWARD, J N0. '1. MADDOX.

